On Boxing
While looking to expand my portfolio, I came across the opportunity to get photos of a boxer during their training. I had met Dave during his day job at a cafe and had gotten to know him well enough to get invited into his gym and to see his training regiment.
I had in my mind that I wanted to sculpt the shoot into what I thought a boxer could get across and to try to highlight the loneliness of the sport. That changed as the shoot progressed and as Dave and I talked as he was training
Our conversation turned towards what the sport had done for him and what he had gained through training: not a body but the mental clarity, discipline, and resilience it had given him to endure hardship
Boxing had given Dave the tools to open up and find himself a confidence that he did not have before. It gave him the space to express emotions that he otherwise had bottled up and unprocessed.
It gave him the space to love himself, and that's what boxing means to him
